Vehicle-wheel



F. A. FROMMANN.

VEHICLE WHEEL.

APPLICATION FIILED JUNE 21. |917.

Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

f W f To all whom t may concern:

UNIIEusTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

Y FRANKLIN A. FROMMANN, "oF CHICAGO, ILLINoIs.

VEHICLE-WHEEL.

Be it knownthat I, FRANKLIN A., FROM- MANN, citizen of the United States,'residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, `haveinvented certain lnew and useful Improvements in Vehicle-'Wheelsg and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersfskilled in the art to which it. appertains to make and use the same. y Y This invention relates to improvements in Vehicle wheels, and has for its `partcula-1' object to provide .a wheel particularly adapted for motor-propelled vehicles in vwhich the cushions are housed inwardly ofthe rim or tire of the wheel, and more particularly in which the tire member is capable of limited cushioned lateral `motion relative to the wheel body.y

f The invention Vconsists in the.y features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and particularly claimed. Y i 4 In the accompanying drawings illustratingv a suitable embodiment of the invention: Figure -1- is a fragmentary view partly in side elevation and partly in section of a Vwheel constructedinl accordance with the invention. Y Y .v

Fig. -2- is afragmentary detail radial section on an enlarged scale ofthe same on the line 2-2 of Fig. -1--.

Fig. -3- is a similar section on the line '3 3 ofV Fig. 1-. p i

Owing to the extreme'wear to which the rubber tires of vehicles, and particularly heavy, freight-carrying motor-propelled vehicles, are subjectedin travel, it has been found advantageous to dispose cushions gi-ving the resilient action of tires of the wheels of such vehicles inwardly of the .tractive surface of the said wheels, so' as to protect them from wear, while securing Vthe benefit of their elasticity. i Such Wheelsl have, however, been heretofore constructed'so as to be absolutely rigid-and incapable of absorbing lateral strains and shock impartedto the wheelsin travel, and' this rigidityhas necessitatedbuilding such wheels extraordinarily strong and'heavy v`in Vorder to resistv such lateral vstrainsr and shocks which the rubber tires of such wheelsgenerally absorb, as for example, in .running in and out of car tracks, or striking the edgesof-stones in the road, and running in and out of ruts.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

Application ined June 21, 1917. serial No. 176,195.

The objectof thev present invention is,

therefore, vto provide a vehicle wheel in` which the cushions are disposed inwardly of the rim or tire, and in which the said rim or tire 1s capable of suliicient lateral movement relatively to the wheel-body to absorb such lateral strains and shocks without injury tothe wheel body, and without in any way interfering with the resiliency of the cushions for absorbing the radial shocks and strains due to passing` over road obstructions.

The wheel embodying my'invention, as shown in the accompanying' drawings, comprises the body portion which includesthe hubl, spokes 2 and annularfelly member 3, said parts being either cast integral with each other, or suitably rrigidly connected with each .other in any suitable manner.' AThe said felly memberis provided with annular parallel slightly flaring edge anges4 bordering channeled pockets 5. In ,the bottom of each of the latter is a pocket Shaving a contracted mouth portion`7` which eonstltutes an .opening or slot connecting` ythe pockets V5 and 6. In the bottom of each pocket (i there isprovided a'recess 8. The latter receives the inner end portion 9 of the shank 10 of shoes llin which rubber or similar cushions 12 are mounted,'each,of the latterv being segmental and extending through an arc of any desired length consistent with the desired action of theA Wheel in travel. The Shanks 10 consist preferably of fiat webs provided with a. plurality of lrelatively large openings through which the rubber of the cushions 13 mounted on said shanks is adapted toflow during vulcanization so as to firmly secure saidv cushions to saidshanks.' Said cushions rest `upon the inner surfaces of the shoes 11 and are confined between the same and the bottoms of the channels 5 and completely fill the space between the flanges et. The cushions 13 are preferably vof considerably greater width at their outer end than at their base portions,

such outer portions being confined kbetween tending annular flanges 16 terminating in v said' flaring' portions ,'14 and bordering a` deep annular channel `adapted to. receive the cushions 12 and shoes 11. The said shoes 11 are of less maximum width than the inner width of said channel so as to leave free spaces at each side thereof to permit their lateral movement with respect to the channels. The cushions 12 are normallyVV of greater width between their ends thanthe said channel, and arecrowded into the latter and terminate in the serrated end portions `17, the solid portions of which are adapted to. be displaced under .the influence of load on the wheel as the body portions of the* cushions move radially in the channels, under ktheiinfluence of load in an obvious manner.

The outer. circumferential face of the rim Aand tire member 15. presents -a series of pockets 18 adapted to receive blocks of wood or the like, constituting the tread surface of -ithe Structure.

Spanning the channel of the rim and tire member bordered by the said fianges' 16 at intervals, are partition members 19 between which the cushions 12 are confined and held Vagainst rotation relatively tothe. said rim.

VThe shoes 11 are of a length` less than that separating contiguous partition members 19, and the cushions 12 are normally of greater lengthl than said distance so that while said cushions are firmly held against rotation n relatively yto the rim and tire member, the

Vao

'shoes are capable of a very limited move- V5 are of a length substantially equal to that ofthesubstantially cylindrical formations 9 Vat the inner ends of the shanks 10 of said' shoes 11. The latter are adapted to oscillate on the axes of said formations 9 as fulcrums to permit a slight lateral movement of the rim or channel member 15 relatively to the felly 3 of the rim or body of the wheel, such lateral movement being resisted by the cush- -ions 13. and limited by engagement of the shanks 10 of the shoes 11 with the side walls ofthe openings 7. Such lateral movement is distributedl practically about the entire circumference of the wheel, that is to say, that the portion of the rim or tire disposed above the horizontal plane of the axis of rotation would move laterally relatively to the 4wheel body .in a direction opposite to that of the portion of the rim or felly disposed below lsaid plane. It will be noted that the cushions 13 functionto a small extent as-a cushioning means for absorbing radial shocks and strains imposed upon the wheel,

Yand tending to effect relative radial movement between the ,wheel body and the rim and'tire member. The said cushions 13 remain rigid with respect to the wheel body, and will'not move radially with respect to the degree of compression of the cushions 12,

by the frictional engagement of the side edge portions of the cushions13, and the crowding of the same with respect to the flaring edge portions 14 of the flanges 16 of the rim or tire member. l Y

The shoes 11 and cushions 12describe preferably relatively short. arcswhich will promote freedom of relative movement and a better distribution of the cushioningv effect over the entire circumference ofthe wheel in travel.Vv l 1 V:

While I have shown the preferred embodiment of the invention in tlieaccompanying drawings, it wfillV be understood, of course, that suchembodiment is capableV of considerable variation and modification fined. inthe appended claims. l 'Y I claim. as my invention:

without departing from'theY invention as de- 1.A vehicle wheel including a body member, a rim member, elastic cushioning means interposed therebetween adapted toV permita relative lateralmovement of said members, and meansv associated with said cushion .and one of. said members for preventing relative radial movement of said member and said cushion. i n

2. Afvehicle wheel includinga'body member, a rim member, elastic cushioning means the rim or tire member in accordance with v soY interposedv therebetween adaptedto permit relative lateral movement of sai'dmembers,

means associated with said cushion and one of said members for preventing 'relative radial movement of said; member and said cushion, and cushions interposed'betweensaid members adapted to permit relative radial movement thereof; v

3. A vehicle wheel comprising a body member, a .rim` member of greater inner Y' diameter than the outer diameter of the body member, cushioning means engaged with both members permitting relative lateral movement thereof,andmeans engaged with said cushioning means and said body -member for limiting the relativev lateral mitting relative radial movement-'.thereof,

and means engagedwithone of said members and with both Lsaid cushioningrmeans for preventing relative radial movement between the last-named member and said firstnamed cushioning means.

5. A vehiclev wheel comprising a Vb ody member, a rim member, cushioning means interposed between said members permitting relative lateral movement thereof, cushioning means permitting relative radial movement thereof, and shoes engaged with one of said members and with both said cushioning means for preventing the firstnamed cushioning means from yielding radially to relativel radial movement yof said members and causingsaid last-named cushioning means to yield to relative radial movement of said members. Y

G. A vehicle Wheel comprising a body member, a rim member, cushioning means interposedbetween saidy members permitting relative lateral movement thereof, cushioning means permitting relative radial movement thereof, and shoes engaged With one of said members and with both said cushioning means for preventing the firstnamed cushioning means from yielding radially to relative radial movement of said members and causing said last-named cushioning means to yield to relative radial movement of said members, said shoes being pivotally movable with respect to one of said members.

7. A vehicle Wheell comprising a body` member, a rim member, cushioning means interposed between said members permitting relative lateral movement thereof, cushioning means permitting relative radial movement thereof, and shoes engaged with one of said members and With both said cushioning means for preventing the'firstnamed cushioning means from yielding radially to relative radial movement of said members and causing said last-named cushioning means to yield to relative radial movement of said members, said shoes being pivotally movable with respect to one of said members, and stops forv limiting the pivotal movement thereof.

8. A vehicle wheel comprising a body member, a rim member, cushioning means interposed between said members permitting relative lateral movement thereof, cushioning means permitting relative radial movement thereof, and shoes engaged with one of said members and with both saidv cushioning meansv for preventing the firstnamed cushioning means from yielding radially to relative radial movement of said members and causing said last-named cushioning means to yield to relative radial dially to relative radial movement of said members and causing said last-named cushioning means to yield to relative radial movement of said members, said shoes being pivotally movable with respect to one of said members on axes transverse to the axis of rotation of the Wheel, and Stops for limiting the pivotal movement thereof.

n 10. A vehicle Wheel comprising a body member, a rim member, cushioning means interposed between said members permitting relative lateral movement thereof, cushioningv means permitting relative radial movement thereof, and shoes engaged with l and pivotally movable relatively to the body member on axes and extending through the first-named cushioning means and engaging the last-named for preventing the first-named cushioning means from yielding radially to relative radial movement of said members and causing said last-named cushioningmeans to yield to relative radial movement of said members.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANKLIN A. FROMMANN. Witnesses:

M. M. BoYLE, C. L. BALDWIN. 

